Dear SPB Fans,

Last week's “Koffee with Anu” had our SPB & GangaiAmaran as the main guests with SPB.Charan (SPB’s son) and Venkat Prabhu (Gangai Amaran’s elder son) joining them later in the program.

Many of you would have seen this program on TV but there might be quite a few who would not have been fortunate enough to see it on TV. So, for the benefit of these fans and also for the benefit of all the other state fans, I am presenting this write-up in English accompanied by an audio recording (Tamil) of this program. (thanks to Covai Ravee for providing the audio file of this program)


The program was very hilarious with both SPB & GangaiAmaran opening out without any inhibitions and indulging themselves in lot of leg pulling and pranks just like children. It was indeed a delight to watch them lashing out at each other jokingly and in turn making us laugh a lot. The anchor “Anu” did a great job conducting the show joining the freaking out. Now, go ahead and read this article on this program. Our SPB was really very natural in his talking and narrations and he was really very excited and honest about everything. He was his usual self, joking a lot. His expressions at many places were cute and enjoyable. The intimacy he had with GangaiAmaran showed in the way he addressed him as "Vaadaa" "Poadaa".
The program also brought the care that our SPB had for his son and alos GangaiAmaran's son encouraging them in all their endeavours. This also made clear the background to his friendship with IlayaRaja and BharathiRaja and their intimacies.


To start off, I will follow the same format of the program meaning Q&A format as it would give a feeling of having seen the program.


The hostess for this program was Anuhaasan the daughter of Charuhaasan (Kamalhaasan’s brother).


She first gave a brief about the person to be invited as guest. Her words were “laughter, mischief, sadness, sorrow, love, romance – give him any emotion and he brings it into his voice effortlessly. Such a distinguished person is our first guest. He has sung more than 36,000 songs and found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. I am talking about none other than the most versatile, supremely talented and most beloved SP Balasubramaniam”. With these few words, she welcomed our SPB. There were brief exchanges of greetings and then the program started off.


Anu: Sir, I feel very happy to see you.

SPB: Thanks

Anu: I will ask you a question now. The usual boring question. How is that you maintain your voice


SPB: I pledge that I have never maintained my voice. I am indeed afraid to say that lest all others

will follow it. I have no restrictions. Without ice water, I cannot live. I cannot be without cool

drinks and I eat lot of sweets. Normally, they do not take curd since it tastes sour but I cannot be

without curd. Only thing I don’t do is that I am a vegetarian. I have been smoking, nobody knows, for

about 30 years, only recently I stopped smoking. Everybody has the blessing of their parents and Guru.

I think I have received more than my share.

Anu: Is that so. Did you have the aspiration to sing right from your childhood?

SPB: No. It is a peculiar story. I wanted to become an Engineer. Wearing that Khaki dress, going around

in a jeep with a driver, earning Rs.500 which was a big amount those days and being in a government job

– this had been my wish. It has no relation now. I had written the screen play but HE (meaning God)

refused to direct it (Anu laughs out heartily). HE himself had written the screen play for me. It is an

accident that I have become a singer. I had taken part in a competition for fun when Janakiamma asked

me. What would have happened was that if I had won that competition three times in a row, I would have

got to retain the shield. But somehow there was some politics and they gave second prize and announced

the other boy as the first prize winner. Janakiamma had come to that place on that day to give away the

prizes. We two had to sing the songs in front of her and after hearing it, she felt angry saying that

“even though the first prize winner was good, the second prize winner (our SPB) was better than him and

he should have actually been given the first prize”. Already I was awestruck seeing her and hearing her

recommendations chilled me. She then called me and asked where I was. I told her that I was in Madras

(now Chennai) only and doing my AMIE. Why don’t you try in cinema, she asked me. I was 17 or 18 at that

time. No, No. that is not possible I said. She asked me why. I told her that I did not know music, I

have not learnt from anyone and that I did not even know the “sa pa sa..”. Even I do not know it, am I

not singing, she said. I thought she was just joking and I told her so. After all, she had sung very

classical based songs like “singaravelane…”. She said that she had sung all that mathematically only

and did not have any swaragnanam. Oh, then I felt she was serious about me and she asked me to try. At

that time, I did not know any Tamil and I was a typical Golti, having come from Andhra.

Anu: you have learnt after that, is it not?

SPB: Nothing at all. Till now, I have not learnt it.

Anu: But you are talking very well, Sir.

SPB: So, when I went to all Telugu Music Directors, everyone told me that I was singing well but that

my voice has not matured from that of a boy. My thought was that it was not my cup of tea and moreover

Father had sent me here to study with all his difficulties. Such being my state at that time, there was

a national level contest at Andhra Club, Chennai. I knew about this contest but I had no intention of

participating as I thought I would not stand a chance and hence did not go that side at all. But my

roommate without informing me had registered my name for that contest by paying Rs.10. The judges for

the competition were Ghantasala Master, Music Directors Pendyala Nageswara Rao, Dakshinamurthy. When I

went to sing, I found that I was the first one to sing as there were no participants with names

starting with “A”. I was called first. Seeing the three great personalities, I was afraid, but closed

my eyes and went ahead. We were not supposed to sing a cine song. So, a day earlier I had composed a

Telugu song with music by myself and sang it. The competition was for three days as there were 77

competitors. Prizes were to be announced only after three days. Having completed my song, I came down

and sat among the audience waiting to see how the other competitors sang, quite sure that I would not

get any prize. Suddenly a short and fair complexioned man came to me and asked me if I will sing in

cinema. I did not even stand up as I thought he was pulling my legs, making fun of me. I told him I

will not sing. He asked me why I will not sing. I said I am not interested, I know I cannot sing. Just

singing in this contest cannot mean I can sing in cinema. He then asked me if I will sing if he gives a

chance. I realized that this man was serious, so I got up and told him that I did not know who he was.

He told me that his name was Kothandapani, a Music Director and that he had done music for 3 or 4

films. Having not seen him earlier, I did not know who he was. I told him “Sir, I had met all but no

one gave me a chance”. He then took me to a producer who also said that as I was a grown-up boy I can

sing neither for heroes nor for children and concluded that may be after 2 years I could be tried.

Mr.Kothandapani told me not to get disheartened and asked me to see him later and that he would

definitely give me a chance. Again I said that it is not my cup of tea having seen him embarrassed in

front of me and I went back to college to pursue studies. I did not give him my address. He had tried

hard to locate me and after two years, he caught hold of me in the college and got me back and gave me

my first chance for a Telugu movie.


Anu: All is written on the forehead, is it not, as you said earlier. Now you are singing confidently,

is it not?
SPB: I pledge it is not so. Before I went to the mic to record my first song, an amazing incident

happened. We had two days rehearsal for my song and the call sheet was for 2pm at Vijaya Studios. I was

told that a production car would be pick me up and was asked to come over. Among the three pair of

dresses I had, I liked the pair of white trouser and shirt. I had it dry washed and was waiting for the

car along with my friend Murali, he is still working as an assistant recordist at my recording studio.

(The Kothandapani Studios in Chennai belongs to our SPB). The time just scrolled on 2 to 3 to 4pm, the

car did not turn up. I thought they had not liked my singing in the rehearsal and hence had not sent

the car. I started undressing but my friend said we will go to the Studio. I said no. If they wanted me

to sing, the car would have come. But he said that we will go. Both of us had cycles, so we went to

Vijaya Gardens. What to tell, there was a Gurkha standing there, later he became my friend which is

another story. He asked me “kya chaayiye”. My friend told that I had come to sing. It is normal for

many to turn up at Studios looking for a chance. The Gurkha asked us to leave and do our studies. I was

in tears. What my friend did then was to inform the Gurkha that he would leave our two cycles along

with me at the entrance and that he would go in and get the production man outside. The Gurkha thought

about it and finally let him in. At that time there was no mode of communication for me like phone,

cell phone etc. The production man came and took me inside. The Music Director (Kothandapani) was angry

and told me that they had been waiting so long for me to come. I told that the car had not come. He

told me that the car had actually met with an accident and the driver who was in the police station did

not know how to convey this and that’s why. When I finally went before the mike, the Producer (comedian

Padmanabhan) came over to me and said that I had been singing well. However he said that if at all, my

voice did not come out well on the mic, they would then use Ghantasala Master to dub the song. Being

already exhausted, hearing these words further brought me down and I recorded the song in that state

itself. After the completion of my bit they had to record the other bits, it was a live orchestra with

about 30 to 40 musicians I sang in the same hall as the other musicians, there was no separate cubicle.

After the recording, there was no information from inside and I thought I was out of it. Meanwhile,

Susheelamma came and said that it was OK and maybe for a change they were discussing to have one more

take. Suddenly everyone came and informed that the take was OK and congratulated me. That was how it

happened and I had a payment of Rs.150 which was a big amount and it started off like that

Anu: Well, we thought about collecting some background information on you. Instead, we felt it would be

better to invite your close friend to this show who will tell all your secrets.

SPB: Yaah that’s right. He will be the one to tell all my secrets

Anu: To tell about lot of secrets of Sir, his best friend will be coming now. So, our next guest, who

is sailing on the ever floating ship of SPB that is friendship, your (meaning SPB) best friend, the

very talented GangaiAmaran. I am very happy to welcome GangaiAmaran to this show.